An Answer to Deb's Question

Deb wanted to know what sort of work Jason has been doing for Tyler Perry.

Well, my bunny is a very talented and dedicated journeyman plumber. Through Patriot Plumbing (the company Jason works for) he has done all the plumbing for Tyler's studio #1, his new home off of West Paces Ferry, studio #2 and his pool/guest house. These projects have taken up most of his time during the past 2 years. Tyler is very demanding, changes his mind all of the time (no matter what stage the project is in) and expects everything to be done according to his "vision".

Jason has pretty much so had it up to here with Tyler Perry projects and has threatened to leave the company if his boss accepts another one. Luckily Rob knows that Jason is only half joking around and has promised that after studio #2 (a total of 8 buildings) is complete, they're done. I, on the other hand, doubt this will be the last thing they do for Tyler Perry.

Summary

It's been one of those weeks. Very busy at work...very busy at home. We're all looking forward to a nice 3day weekend.

1. Ayden finished PreLevel 1 swim lessons last night. Check out my mom's blog for pictures. I brought my camera but had the wrong lens on so I left it up to her.
2. We're losing our puppy sitter...again. Luckily Marguerite's husband, David, has offered to take over starting next week Tuesday.
3. Jameson is potty training and doing very well when with me. He's not doing as well with Marguerite, but it's not his fault. He needs to be taken to the potty every 30 minutes and she gets busy and forgets. Luckily I'll have 3 days to work with him this weekend!
4. Ayden is doing much better at school in the mornings. With juice box in hand, he sits nicely in the big comfy chair to read a book as I pull away. Big sigh of relief.
5. We have no idea where our home phone is (I'm sure Jameson is to blame for this one). If you've called us during the past month and we haven't returned your call, it's not because we don't like you. It's starting to get on my nerves so we'll be going out this weekend to get a new phone. In the mean time...call one of our cells.
6. The next 3 months are going to be insane at work. So many projects coming up that need to be finished before baby Ava comes. I'm starting to feel the pressure, but I normally work much better under pressure.
7. I'm in total shock that my trip to Connecticut is in a month (we leave 10/8)! Where has the time gone? Looking forward to getting away for a while, seeing New York with my mom and fellow scrap divas and working on my photography skills.
8. I'm getting really excited about baby Ava's arrival. I'm hoping Jason can get her room painted in September so that I can start decorating/accessorizing.
9. Jason is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel at Tyler Perry's studio. He was actually in a good mood when I talked to him on Wednesday. He's not normally in a good mood while at work. I'll be so relieved when his load lightens a bit.

Okay, gotta run. I'm hoping to get out of here early today so I need to get a few things crossed off my to-do list.

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!

Week 23

Here's what's going on this week with baby Ava! Our next OB appointment is on 9/2 and our next ultrasound is on 9/8.

At this point you’ve pretty much adjusted to the fact you’ve got a moving little gymnast inside of you, but now they’re going to kick up the party a notch because they can hear and react to sounds from the outside world. Sounds from your alarm clock, a thunder roll, or that darned car honking at you across the intersection can actually jar their little ears enough to elicit a kick or violent bout of squirming. Of course this also means that their little ears are picking up the sounds of your voice and those near you. So go ahead, sing a lullaby to your little angel—if they start kicking, it’s likely they just want you to stop… or maybe it was a kick of approval? You decide. Your baby's tiny taste buds are still growing and their bones are continuing to ossify (harden), their tiny veins are visible through their translucent yet wrinkly skin. (Think of it this way: they’ve been swimming in the equivalent of a long hot bath for the past 23 weeks, so you can’t blame them for being a little prune-like.)

Am I Weird?

Please don't get me wrong...I love summer. I love the blue skies, the warm weather and time spent by the pool. But I'm a Midwesterner at heart. I tire of temps in the 90's and the oppressive humidity. Sometimes I long for cloudy, dreary days and yes, the smell of crisp fall leaves. The sort of days that make you want to stay indoors where it's dry, warm and safe. So as badly as I feel for people who were adversely affected by hurricane Fay, I would like to thank her for sending so much crappy weather our way.

I've had the same to-do list for months and only a few things have actually gotten crossed off, only to be added a back a couple of weeks later. When I woke up Saturday morning to clouds and mist, I almost did a happy dance. What better excuse to stay home and indoors! The boys woke me up around 6am and daddy was out the door for work about an hour later. With Diego playing in the living room, I started with our laundry. We only left the house once...to take daddy lunch and hit the grocery store. With the skies threatening to dump at any moment, there was no way we were going out to eat. By the time Jason walked through the door our bedroom, bathroom, Ava's room, the boys' room, living room and kitchen had all been cleaned. I even took everything out of the refrigerator and cleaned it from top to bottom...throwing away anything that I could no longer identify. All of our laundry was clean and put away. There was a blueberry cobbler (made from scratch) cooling on the stove and dinner was cooking in the oven. I was feeling great! While Ayden and Jason stayed up to watch The Secret of Nimh, Jameson and I went to bed nice and early. I was exhausted but in such a good way!

Sunday morning we woke up to more clouds and gloom. Yeah! There was still so much more to do and I was on a roll. I made the boys scrambled eggs and started stripping beds. I was forced to wake Jason up around 9:30am so I could get our sheets clean too. I started working on the office/scrap area (way too big of a project for just one day) and steam cleaned the carpet in our bedroom, Ava's room (starting to get ready for our princess...can you tell?), the hallway and the living room. All day, there was a beef roast with onions, carrots, potatoes and mushrooms cooking in the crockpot. The house smelled soooo yummy! Jason had a short to-do list as well and didn't complain once about getting things done. He moved the boys' cable line to the other side of their bedroom (and encountered a dead rat in the crawl space), hung up some new lights by the bunk beds, cleaned out the garage and picked up some trash in the bushes. He also totally saved my poor uterus by moving all the heavy furniture around so I could steam clean the entire living room floor. Mimi and Bumpa arrived promptly at 5:30pm for dinner. We tend to tone down the family dinners during the summer so it felt good to have them over two weekends in a row. As I was taking a shower before bed (didn't want to crawl into clean sheets after working all day), I realized that I didn't leave the house once all day. I can't remember the last time I did that!!! The best part?? Right around dinner, the skies finally opened up and we had a nice thunderstorm that took us through until bedtime. Thanks again Fay!!

And now it's Monday. It was cloudy and foggy this morning as I made my way into work but nothing could ruin the good mood that the productive weekend had put me in. Not the jackasses driving the speed limit in the fast lane, not the roadside drug bust that had me crawling through the connector and definitely not the knowledge that I had a one-day payroll ahead of me. No sirree. This is going to be a good week!

I hope yours was just as enjoyable!

Really quick update

It's been a rough week and I couldn't be more happy that today is Friday (I think I say that every Friday). Between family illness, doctor visits, horrible commutes, and swim lessons we've been on the go constantly.

After Ayden's shots on Tuesday, I had been waiting for the dreaded fever that he always gets. I could see an attitude change coming on Wednesday morning when I dropped him off at school. He didn't want me to leave, he "needed" me, and was crying hysterically. I felt like the world's worst mom as I left him kicking and screaming with his teacher and raced to work. Yesterday it was the same thing. Leaving my children when they are unhappy drains me. I feel like an emotional void. I had just gotten to the parking lot and pulled into my space, when Jason called to tell me the school had called him. Ayden had thrown up shortly after I left and was running a fever. Being the awesome daddy that Jason is, he offered to leave work, go pick up a car seat at my mom's and pick up Ayden. Knowing that is actually out of the question for him right now (serious deadlines at Tyler Perry's studio), I put the truck in reverse and headed back home to pick Ayden up myself...feeling even more crappy than I already had for leaving my baby when he was obviously distraught and not feeling well. My heart just about broke when I found him sleeping in a chair in the nurse's room. He was burning up! I took him home, gave him some Tylenol and put him to bed. He slept until 11ish and woke up slightly cooler and happier. After another dose of Tylenol at 12:30, his fever finally broke around 4. He insisted on going to swim lessons so off we went.

He felt a little warm to me this morning so I made him take some more Tylenol before dropping the boys off. He wasn't exactly thrilled that I was leaving him again, but I managed to get out the door and on my way to work. I'm hoping for a relaxing weekend. Jason has to work tomorrow, but has promised to be home Sunday for family time.

Ayden Update

Well, my baby is definitely trying to grow on me. We had his 4 year check up yesterday and Ayden weighed in at 43lbs (92nd percentile) and 42 inches (75th percentile). They performed a hearing, vision and minor dental screening on him as well. He passed the hearing test and his teeth look beautiful. Unfortunately, he didn't do so hot with the vision test. I already had concerns that he may have a lazy eye but after the vision test, Dr. Goza recommended he see an optometrist. It's also time to initiate Ayden with the dentist even though everything looks good. He's just at the age when we should start his cleanings. We ended the visit with 3 shots in the leg. He took it like a trooper but was very whiny and clingy this morning. I'm convinced that there's something in those immunizations that knocks our kids off course for a couple of days. We don't exactly have a choice though if they are to attend school/daycare.

Well, that's about all I have time for. I'm looking forward to a nice evening at home. We haven't actually had a night at home since last week Friday. I want to make dinner, take baths, get our PJ's on and play Hungry Hungry Hippo with my boys. Wow, has my idea of a fun evening changed drastically from 5 years ago!!!

Thinking of making a change...

It's days like today that I seriously consider quitting my job to find something closer to home. I love working for the Chamber. I love what we stand for and the positive impact we have on the community. I love the people I work with and I thoroughly enjoy my job. My boss is absolutely amazing and I'm so lucky to report to such a wonderful woman.

I seriously hate my commute though. Most days it isn't toooo bad, but it's days like today that I want to just turn around and go back home. I was at my first stop of the day...dropping Jameson off at Marguerite's...when David comes out to tell me that I shouldn't take Interstate 85. Apparently there was a horrible accident around 5am this morning with serious injuries, possible fatalities and overturned vehicles. I immediately called Jason who had left the house around the same time as me to warn him that all lanes northbound and southbound were closed. Unfortunately, he had just gotten onto 85 and was at a complete standstill.

I dropped Ayden off at school and took my time by getting extra kisses and hugs. I drove to RaceTrac to fill up with gas and pondered my options. None of them looked very good. Down by us, there aren't a lot of alternate routes to the city. I decided my course and ended up sitting on Oakley Industrial for about 45 minutes until I finally reached Union City. I was able to get onto 85 northbound and made it to work over an hour late. I called Jason (who had taken my second option) to make sure he made it okay. The poor guy was still sitting on Hwy 29, nowhere near the job site.

Interstate 85 is a death trap during rush hour. I wish I could avoid it, but it's the quickest and shortest way into the city. Now that we're adding to our family in December, I think more and more about finding a job closer to home. I love having a career but I would really like to go part time. If I could find a job closer to home that allows me to work a 30-32 hour week with full benefits and no decrease in salary, I'd take it in a heartbeat. So, if you know of anyone in my area looking for a knowledgeable and dependable payroll accountant (who will hopefully be a CPP after October 1st) please let me know! Continuing to work in my field but still be accessable to my children would be a dream come true.

Note: This picture was taken by Mimi and I found it on her blog this morning. As usual, my pictures haven't even been downloaded yet.

My baby is 4 years old. Where have the last 4 years gone? I took one look at him this morning and wanted to squeeze him tight and not let go. I'm so grateful for the times that he still wants to cuddle and snuggle and be right next to me. I love that when I wear a dress to work, he tells me I look pretty. I love that when we go brush our teeth in the morning, he has to hold my hand to the bathroom. And I really love that when I drop him off at school in the morning, he pushes the security button and holds the door for me...and then asks for one more kiss and hug.

Mimi always tells him that she's going to put a brick on his head so he can't get any bigger. So this morning when I asked him how I was going to keep him from getting sooooo big he told me "Mimi is already putting a brick on my head so you can't do that one". If I hadn't just gone to the bathroom, I'm sure I would have peed my pants while laughing. He's not only sweet, but totally entertaining as well.

We celebrated our big man's birthday on Saturday with dinner, presents and cake. Mimi and Bumpa were there as well so we turned it into a joint celebration since Mimi's birthday was on Thursday. I think his absolute favorite gift was his brand new big boy bike with training wheels from Mimi & Bumpa. Tonight we'll be heading to Partners Pizza for their yummy salad/pizza buffet. I took a few pictures on Saturday but haven't had a chance to download/edit them yet. Tonight will probably be my only chance before the week gets crazy...starting with tomorrow.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY my sweet boy. We all love you very much!!

Creative Funk

So while I may be in the mood to clean and get organized, I'm finding myself in a creative funk. I've barely picked up my camera, I don't have any huge desire to scrap and I have 2 new scrap magazines that I haven't touched yet. I can't remember the last time I looked at 2Peas or any scrapping blogs. Normally I'm counting down the days until Scrap Club so I can get high on adhesive and card stock. Lately I'm mostly looking forward to a day away from the house, good food and good company. What the heck is going on with me?

Okay, don't answer that. This list of things that are wrong with me could be quite lengthy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIMI!

Yup, it's Mimi's birthday today. Ayden is excited for 2 reasons.

1. He loves birthdays, birthday cake and birthday presents. Oh, and balloons. It doesn't matter that it's not for him, he just loves birthdays! This morning he told me that when Bumpa gets home from the airplane, we have to make Mimi a cake and he's going to help her open presents. Yes, little dude...that's exactly what we're going to do!

2. He knows that after Mimi's birthday, it's his birthday. On our way to school this morning he asked me for about the 10th time how many sleeps he had until his birthday. I promised him that after 4 sleeps, it would be his turn.

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mimi! We love you very much and hope you have a fabulous day. Of course, we'll see you at swim lessons tonight we'll grab a bite afterward but your true celebration will be this weekend. We can't celebrate without the Bumpa and a cake (per Ayden's instructions)!

Let the nesting begin!

It's either an excess of hormones or the fact that I'm ready for fall, but I'm going into full blown nesting mode.

This week I took all of the "boy" bedding off the crib to wash and pack away. It sort of made me teary eyed when I thought about how both of my boys used that bedding. It's been part of our home for over 4 years now! I also took off the blue changing table pad. Now I just need to buy the sage green paint I want in there so Jason can get going on the walls. Jason finished painting the walls for Jameson the day I gave birth. I'd like to be a bit more prepared this time.

I've been cruising All Recipes for new things to cook. I found myself in the dessert section...I love to bake! I'm also ready to get out the crock pot. I loving coming home to a prepared meal, not to mention the way our house smells after cooking a beef roast all day. Yummy!

My kitchen as been clean since Saturday. And I've cooked in it! I think I may finally be back. The living room has been picked up before bedtime and our kitchen table is lacking all of the usual clutter...mail, folded clothes...etc. We actually ate at the table both Monday and Wednesday night. You have no idea how good this makes me feel.

ALL of our laundry is washed, folded and put away. The towels are actually put away where they belong instead of sitting on counter in the boys' bathroom. I've been lighting a couple of candles every night like I used to and the house smells like Clean Cotton (by Yankee Candle) once again. This weekend I want to steam clean all the rooms and tackle the desk area.

I've always been known for having the most clean and organized office here at the Chamber. Unfortunately things have gone down hill in that department during the past 4 months. I'm ready to get back in gear though. I'm organizing all my filing, doing the filing, preparing a batch of new hire folders and binding a ton of policy manuals today. Tomorrow when I get in I'll be able to vacuum and dust my office without anything being in the way. When I have to find something, I'll know exactly where it is because it'll be filed away properly. Yeah.

It definitely hasn't been easy to get motivated, but now that I am...look out! I'll have to take a few more pictures of Ava's closet this weekend. I think Mimi has made a few more trips this week:)

We're Loving Royal Learners!

We're on day 3 at Royal Learners and I couldn't be more happy with our choice of school for Ayden. Every day I pick him up and we get a daily report. It tells us what they did during Circle Time, songs they sang, stories they read, what took place in each of the Learning Centers, what was for lunch/how he ate and if he napped or rested.

There are 6 Learning Centers:
Phonics & Writing
Math/Manipulatives
Creative Art
Science
Home Living
Blocks

Yesterday they were focusing on "friendships" and made a friendship salad for cooking class. They'll be introducing Spanish lessons a little later.

And let me tell you...those kids eat well! For example, here's what they had yesterday:

Breakfast:
Pancakes w/Syrup
Bacon
Applesauce
Milk

Lunch:
Ham & Cheese Quesadillas
Green Peas
Diced Peaches
Milk

Snack:
Pizza on Whole Wheat
Fruit Bowl
Juice

Jameson is doing better than ever at Marguerite's. I think he really enjoys having time away from his big brother. Normally they would fight over who was going to carry the backpack in, who was going to open the door and who would get a hug goodbye first. Jameson would have a total meltdown the second he saw me heading for the door and just sit in the window crying as I backed down the driveway. Now he tells his brother goodbye, walks into the house and barely has time for his goodbye hug before he gets busy with David. It's now his job to put the vacuum cleaner away and help water the outside plants. He's in heaven! It's all him doing "big boy" stuff without his brother in the way.

Even at night, I think they're getting along better. Since they haven't been trying to kill each other all day, I think they actually enjoy playing together and hanging out watching cartoons. Hopefully the peace lasts because it's making me one happy mommy!

Ayden, Jameson, Ultrasound, Closet and Week #21

I had expected yesterday morning to not go well for two reasons.

1. I was going to be dropping Jameson off at Marguerite's while Ayden remained in the car. He was going to go hang out with David...by himself...for an hour before the other kids got there. He hasn't been without his brother at the sitter's in 2 years. I was worried.

2. I was then going to drop Ayden off for his first day of PreK. Was I worried about Ayden? No way. I was worried about me. I had my fingers crossed that there wouldn't be a lot of parents dropping off at 6:45am and my tears would go unnoticed.

Well, it went better than expected. Way better. When we arrived in Marguerite's driveway Ayden turned to Jameson and said, "Okay brudder. You go into Mar-reet's and I stay in the car so I can go to school.". Jameson turned to Ayden and said, "Bye-bye! Day!!!". We walked into the house, he gave me a hug and kiss, told me "Day" and proceeded to put the vacuum cleaner away. BTW - "Day" means have a good day.

After the 2 minute drive to Royal learners, I insisted that Ayden stand by some wicker furniture so I could take his picture with his new backpack. He couldn't have been less interested in having his pictured taken and only wanted to get his butt through the door. We put his backpack in his room and joined the rest of the early arrivals to hang out on the comfy couches they have in the entrance area. I had to force a hug and kiss from my baby and it was then that I started to bawl my eyes out. I hid in Ayden chubby cheek hoping no one would notice. Ayden put his hand on my cheek and said "It'll be okay mommy". Hmmmm. My soon-to-be-4-year-old was consoling me. In front of like 6 parents! I gave him one last hug, told him to be good and ran out the door to may waiting vehicle.

To make matters worse, this is a very nice school and we're paying out the rear for it. As I looked up to leave, I noticed all of the Land Rovers, Escalades, BMWs and Mercedes. I was the only Eddie Bauer Ford Expedition with more dents than a single human could possibly count (thanks to downtown Atlanta parking!). I'm sure that I've been labeled the "Crazy Mom Who Can't Leave Her Child Without Crying And Drives a Ford".

Oh well, Ayden loved his first day and I spent some quality time at work spying on him online. I love that they have all sorts of cameras inside the classroom and on the playground.

I also had another ultrasound yesterday. This one was pretty important to me. Dr. Korotkin announced at my last ultrasound that we were going to have a girl, but I needed one more confirmation. At first, Ava's legs were crossed and curled in toward her body. Great. After poking at my stomach and jiggling it all around, I got a few kicks and asked if they could look one more time. Ava had uncurled her legs just enough that Dr. Korotkin was able to see that despite my suspicions, our baby had not sprouted a penis during the past 5 weeks. He was still trying to convince me that it couldn't be "tucked" away somewhere as I was walking out the door. I'm definitely feeling more confident that Ava will remain a girl. This is a good thing, since this what her closet is starting to look like...

Hmmmm...see any pink in there?

Anyhoo, here's what's going on during Week #21!

Your beautiful little miracle-gro baby will be putting on a full ounce and a half this week (and weighing up to 16.5 ounces), but that’s just the beginning! Within the next five weeks, they’ll really be packin’ it on! For now, we’re pleased to report the addition of rapid eye movement (REM) a key component to any healthy baby’s sleep schedule. While in the dermatology department: their thin soft skin is very red, rather translucent, and a bit wrinkled. Not to worry, it’s not a premature aging disease. It's just their clever little body setting them up with extra space that will smooth out once your little one starts packing on the baby-fat. That won’t be for a few more weeks, though. So for the time being, your munchkin is still a little lean mean growing machine! The beginnings of what is commonly called “brown fat” is just starting to fill in to help your baby retain some body heat, which is crucial as they’re not yet capable of regulating their own body temperature.

TGIF!

I'm beyond happy that today is Friday!!! It's been one long week and this mommy is exhausted. Jason had a horrible day on Wednesday so decided to not work late and instead spend time with his family. We took Ayden to Royal Learners so he could see his new classroom and meet his teachers. I am sooooo excited about Ayden attending this school. After talking with his teachers (Ms. Bo and Ms. Julie) I know that we're doing the right thing by having him attend private Pre-K. After the "Meet & Greet" we headed over to Taco Mac for a nice dinner. It was so nice to have Jason with us.

Yesterday I picked up the boys and went home to change for swim lessons. Daddy decided to work a normal 10 hour day again so I had an extra set of hands at the Peachtree Dive Center. Ayden was so excited to see Nicole and get in the pool. He kept telling me that he wasn't going to cry and he was going to be a big boy. We ran into the pool area (a little late) and then the tears starting flowing. It took me about 5-10 minutes, but I finally convinced him to get in the water. Nicole grabbed him to do a floating exercise, and it was all smiles and tons of enthusiasm after that. Compared to Tuesday, I thought it went much better last night. I have high hopes for a tear free swim lesson this coming Tuesday. Daddy and the boys dropped me off for nails and then hit McDonalds for Ayden's reward...a strawberry milkshake and chicken nuggets. After they were done eating, my nails were done and the scooped me up to go home.

After such a hectic week and three nights away from the house, I'm excited to cook dinner and just relax. Tomorrow we'll be spending time around the house getting some cleaning done. Okay, so I'll be the only one doing the cleaning, but at least we'll all be home. The temps dropped yesterday from 98 to the 80's and it's supposed to stay below 90 all weekend. What a great opportunity to get the kids outside and get a few things accomplished inside:) We got a school supply list Wednesday night so daddy is taking Ayden shopping for his supplies and new backpack. Some bonding time with daddy is exactly what Ayden needs. I even told them to stay out and grab lunch before coming home for a nap. Jameson and I will do just fine on our own. Saturday night Ayden is spending the night at Mimi's house. If I can get most of the items crossed off of my to-do list, we'll be lounging at the pool on Sunday. It'll be a great opportunity to practice some of the things Nicole has been having the kids do at swim lessons.

Next week, my current schedule comes to an end. Starting Monday, I will have two drop offs and two pick ups with the boys being in different places during the day. It'll be an adjustment but nothing we can't handle. I say that with my fingers and toes crossed:)

I have a 1:30 meeting that I'm about to be late for so I'd better run! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!

It's mornings like this...

that set me up for a happy day.

Ayden woke up on the right side of the bed for a change. I greeted him with my typical smile and tickles. Normally he just moans and moves over to the other side of the bed where he knows I can't reach him on the top bunk. This normally turns into an argument and tears, but not this morning. I helped him down with his friends and we moved to the living room for a little Jo Jo's Circus. He got dressed and we brushed his teeth without a single whine. There were lots of smiles and hugs for mommy. Jameson had migrated to our room around 4:30 this morning and was wide awake watching daddy get ready when I flew in to get him dressed. Again, a few tickles and he was all smiles. Cooperation from both of my boys? That's normally unheard of!

The kids got in the car after saying good morning to Jason's co-workers (our driveway now resembles a used car lot during the day) and we were off to Marguerite's. Ayden is always very good when it's time for mommy to leave for work. After a few hugs and kisses he crawls up on the couch next to David to watch some morning cartoons. Jameson on the other hand, has a total meltdown. This morning was different though. David asked for some help putting the vacuum cleaner away. Jameson took his hand, started to walk away and as an afterthought looked back at me and said goodbye with a big smile on his face. Being a working parent is so much easier when you can leave your children with a smile on their face!

So you have to check out my mom's blog for pictures from swim lessons last night. I brought my camera but was too busy keeping Ayden in the pool and Jameson out of it to take any pictures. Thank goodness Mimi came prepared.

Ayden was so excited about swim lessons. He knows how to do most of the stuff they're going to learn in Pre-Level 1 but didn't do so hot at swim evaluations. When we got there he couldn't wait to get in the water. I had already told him that it would just be him, his teacher and some other kids. Mommy could NOT get in the water with him. Everything was fine until his little butt hit the water.

I understand why though. He's comfortable with his family in the pool because he trusts us. He'd never met Nicole (swim teacher) before and did not trust that she would keep him safe. I tried walking away into the store area with Jameson hoping that he would be able to concentrate on Nicole and not me. Besides, the pool area was about 150 degrees and the store is air conditioned. There are also a ton of fish tanks to keep Jameson entertained. Apparently my absence didn't work. When I walked back in by the pool Ayden was having a nervous breakdown and wanted to get out of the pool to find me. After some soothing words from mommy and Mimi, we convinced Ayden to give it a try. After every exercise, he wanted to get out of the pool for a hug and more encouragement. Anything to get him motivated!

By the end of the lesson he was all smiles. Every time he would do something well with Nicole, we'd give him two big thumbs up. That was all the encouragement he needed going forward. He even announced at one point "Mommy! This getting easier!!". I'm so proud of my little man. As long as I'm sitting there with my eyes glued to his every action, he seems to do fine. Now that he knows Nicole is not going to let him drown, I think we'll have a better time on Thursday. If I can keep Jameson under control, I'll take some pictures.

Come back later today (or tomorrow) for a few good recipes!

Week 20

I almost forgot to post baby Ava's progress this week! This coming Monday I have another ultrasound so I'll hopefully get that final confirmation that we're having a girl:)

This week you're carrying about 10.5 inches and 10.5 ounces of solid baby-miracle-goodness! Their little delicates bones continue to ossify and toughen while their itsy bitsy finger and toe pads are finishing up. Your little monkey now has teeth buds, although they’re hidden beneath the gum line. And finally! Their limbs have reached their relative proportions—no more alien baby! Their cute pink lips are more defined, and might be helping out in a bit of prenatal thumb-sucking. If you have a little boy, then their tiny testes are descending, though they have not yet passed the abdominal wall. What’s more, eyelashes and eyebrows are also visible. At this point, your little one really looks like a miniature baby—and we do mean miniature as your little swimmer currently weighs a mere eighth of their final birth weight. With half the pregnancy behind you, the most significant gains are yet to come!

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous things going on right now.....

1. I'm still frustrated with Jameson but realize that he's just going through the terrible two's. I went out to buy a "positive discipline" book on Saturday and came home with this beauty. So far I really like the book. I'm only into chapter 3 but the authors are so motivating!!

2. I also picked up this one. I promised myself I'd read Positive Discipline first, but I snuck in the first two chapters of Breaking Dawn and now don't want to put it down.

3. I met with my OB today. You can certainly tell that I was on vacation just a couple of weeks ago...I gained 3lbs in July. I've only gained a total of 4lbs, but I'm still paranoid. Last week I started going to the gym again and am back to eating salads for lunch.

4. I really want this for lunch today. Like REALLY bad. But I know we'll grab something after swim lessons tonight so I'm going to behave.

4. Life gets even more hectic for us this week...and going forward. Tonight I have to go home to let the dogs out, pick up the boys and race to swim lessons at 6pm. Tomorrow we have "Meet & Greet" at Ayden's new school. Thursday I have to do the home/dog/boys/swim lesson thing again and then I have to quickly get to my nail appointment...which I'll be late for. Somewhere in all of that I'll have to hit a drive thru so I can feed my kids.

5. I really need to get my dogs groomed. I'm losing them in all of their fur. I normally keep them shaved during the summer, but forgot to make their last appointment for the weekend before we left for vacation. Now they're out of control.

6. This weekend Ayden is spending the night at Mimi & Bumpa's. He's beyond excited. They taught him a cool new technique in the pool this past weekend (see my mom's blog for pics) and now all he wants is to go back to swim. This will be a nice treat for him before school starts on Monday.

7. I can't believe that school starts on Monday. Ayden has been with Marguerite since he was 8 months old. Now it'll just be Jameson at Ree Ree's until Ava starts in February. I think this is going to be hard on Jameson...he's never been away from from his brother. Ayden on the other hand will do great. He's ready to move on from all of the younger kids.

8. Jason has been working non-stop. We really don't see him during the week or on Saturdays so Sunday is a happy day for us all. Family time!

Well, I should go hit the gym before it gets too late.

2008 Wisconsin Trip (Days 5-9)

We spent the second half of our vacation up at my parent's lake house. People in Wisconsin call them cottages, but here in the south they're known as lake homes. Anyway, we had a great time right from the start. Ayden was very excited about the sand toys and bug collector that grandma and grandpa had bought for them. He immediately wanted to roam the land looking for spiders, caterpillars and any other creepy crawly insect he could find. I didn't participate in this...I don't like bugs. Jameson like playing in the sand.

Wednesday night, Auntie Nikki (Ayden's Godmother) joined us after she finished with work. Uncle J (her husband and Ayden's Godfather) wouldn't be able to make it until Friday. I was so excited to see her! She got involved in the bug hunt even though she too dislikes insects. Thursday was a day for relaxation. Nikki and I stayed in the house reading our books until late morning and then finally decided to join the rest outside. We made a trip to Slippery Rock and took a put-put ride around the lake. Friday we geared up for the Danke invasion. My dad had decided that my aunts, uncles and cousins should all get together for a mini reunion while we were up with the boys. Friday we were expecting 10 additional people and Saturday would bring 5 more. OMG! 22 people up at the lake! I must admit that I expected some drama but there were only good times. We took another trip to Slippery Rock on Saturday and spent some quality time floating in the lake. Sunday came quickly, and it was a sad morning as I packed up our belongings to head back to Neenah. We had lunch with Jason's parents and made our way to Milwaukee to return our car and catch our flight back home. It was a long day but I was happy to back in Georgia and looking forward to resuming our routine.

Click here to see the rest of the pictures from days 5-9 Once in flickr, click the "i" for details.!

2008 Wisconsin Trip Pictures Days 1-4

Can you believe that we haven't even been home a full week and I managed to get our pictures downloaded and edited? Okay, so the boys were forced to watch a lot of Scooby Doo last night before bed so I could get it all done but it was worth it!

So here are the pictures from days 1-4 which were spent in Neenah with Mima, Papa and endless amounts of friends and family. Click here to see the slideshow (click on the "i" to see photo descriptions)!

How would you feel???

My mom has had the same puppy sitter ( I'll be calling her sitter instead of using her name) for 8 1/2 years. We've been using her since the day we moved...3 years ago. Our puppy sitter gets paid $14/day to come let our dogs out at noon. It takes about 5-10 minutes of her time. When we take vacations where we can't bring Bonnie and Clyde, we pay her $25/day to puppy sit. Her only added responsibility is to sleep at at our house with the dogs and bring in our mail. Again, not a bad arrangement. Seeing as she has her own family we certainly don't expect for her to stay at our house 24/7.

Our puppy sitter and her husband have been having some financial problems for about a year now. I tried to get her husband a job at the Chamber when our Data Analyst left, but it didn't work out. I hear about their problems in great detail via notes that we leave for each other. While I've always felt bad for their situation, my own plate is quite full and I didn't really want to be burdened with her problems as well. There were numerous times that she asked to be paid early or even via cash (instead of check). Within the last 4 months, it's really started to annoy both me and my mom. At the end of June she told us that they were going to be moving in with her parents in North Carolina some time in July or August. On one hand I was relieved...I wouldn't have to hear about someone else's personal problems anymore. On the other hand I was upset...who was going to let our dogs out now?

We had already lined her up to watch the dogs while we were in Wisconsin last week and she promised that she would stay through then. Her last day was to be July 27th, the day we got back. My mom started to frantically search for a new sitter, but in the end we decided to use the daughter-in-law of one of my co-workers. So, we left for vacation knowing that our dogs and home were in good hands while we were gone and we had someone lined up to start on Monday. Yeah!

When we got home Sunday night, the house seemed just fine. But then some things came up that really got us upset. Apparently, our sitter's dad came down from NC the weekend we left and moved all of their belongings from their home back to NC. So she and her husband, along with their 3 kids, moved into our house for the week. This was not pre-arranged with me. We came home to find that there was NO food in the house. We had purposely made a trip to the grocery store the night before we left so that there would be certain things available when we got home. Like juice for the boys. Our fridge, freezer and pantry were pretty much cleaned out. Things that we hadn't even opened yet were gone! They used Jameson's diapers for their son, there were over 12 messages on our voicemail from their family, they used all of the bubble bath, shampoo and body wash that we had for the boys and we found they practically used all of our toiletries as well. Oh, and our bedroom TV doesn't work so I'm not sure what happened there. There were also piles of doggy doo outside of the gate going into the backyard. Big piles...nothing that Bonnie and Clyde would have left so we also think their dog stayed with them as well. Jason and I were both livid!

On Wednesday, I went to get the steamer out to make broccoli and noticed the coffee pot had been thrown in the cabinet. We don't drink coffee. We have it for friends and family that come visit. I really didn't care that they used it, but they didn't clean it. There was coffee all over it and when I opened up the tray for the filter, there was still one in it with moldy coffee grounds. Gross! Then I went out to do some laundry. I had done ALL of our laundry before we left so both the washer and dryer should have been empty. In the washer I found stinky towels that they had washed but never put in the dryer. When I opened the dryer I found more clean towels and some of our clothes...clothes that were not dirty when we left. I'm still in shock that they had the nerve to wear our shirts!!!

So in the end we paid our sitter $225 (they cashed our check the Saturday we left so I can't even put a stop payment on it) to move her family into our house, eat our food and live off of our utilities for 9 days. If it weren't for the fact that she is now living in NC, I'd press the issue. Hopefully I have found all that is to be found and I can just get past this. This weekend I will be cleaning our house from top to bottom to hopefully rid ourselves of the feeling that we've been completely violated. I don't think I've ever felt so taken advantage of.

So far we're very happy with our new puppy sitter. Randi is only a year older than me and is a stay-at-home mom to a daughter and son who are exactly Ayden and Jameson's ages. She seems agreeable to do overnight visits so we'll be set for future vacations.

Thanks for listening to me vent. My poor mother has been hearing about it all week but has been very supportive by just letting me get it all out. How would you have felt if you came home to this sort of situation? Am I blowing it all out of proportion or would you have felt taken advantage of as well?